F 




1/ 



Colonial Monographs 



HOW THE DUTCH 
CAME TO MANHATTAN 



¥ 



Other books in the 




. • . Series of Colonial Monographs 


.' . by Blanch McManus are 




THE VOYAGE OF THE MAYFLOWER 




Small 4to, with 80 illustrations, 


$1.25 


THE QUAKER COLONY 




Small 4to, with 80 illustrations, 


$1.35 


THREE FRENCH EXPLORERS 




Small Ifto, with 80 illustrations. 


$1.25 






^ 



^ 



\i5i i^\^ 






Copyright, 1897, 

BY 

E. R. Herrick & Ca 



INTRODUCTION. 

THE Story of the Dutch of New Amsterdam 
has often been told in scholarly prose, but the 
picturesque feature of romantic fact has seldom, if 
ever, received the acknowledgment which it seems to 
deserve and require. 

As a nation of sea-farers and traders, the Dutch 
acquired an enviable reputation, and for them to 
have so successfully founded a commercial colony 
was but to have been expected. 

The history of the city of New York has been 
ably and exhaustively treated by many notable writers, 
and to them, as well as to other prolific sources, we 
are indebted for the verification of our facts. 

The arrangement herein follows no previously 
conceived plan or outline, except that it supplements 
the first book of the series, " The Voyage of the 
Mayflower," but forms in itself a true chronicle of 
the events of the early Dutch occupation of Man- 
hattan Island from its beginnings to its final reversion 
into English hands. 

Personalities have been avoided, except so far as 

5 



has seemed necessary and advisable in order to 
retain the point and purpose of the text ; namely, 
that it shall appear pleasing and attractive as well 
as truthful and correct ; for the same reason general- 
ities mostly have been dealt with, and a detailed 
statement only expressed where it commemorates 
some especially significant event. 

Supplementing this, the drawings have been made 
with a like regard for fidelity and authenticity, and 
idealized only where deemed permissible and ap- 
propriate. 

As is true of the other older cities in America, 
abundant evidence still exists in New York to 
remind one of the early days ; the peculiar formation 
of the island has made any radical change in the 
laying out of the city impossible, hence any his- 
torical account must bespeak with praise in reference 
to the judgment and foresight of its founders and 
organizers. 

" A noble tale well told, of valiant deeds well 
done," is an epigram from an ancient tome, which it 
is to be hoped will be merited in some measure by 
the contents of this book. 



CONTENTS 

PACB 

The Discovery of Manhattan 9 

The Settlement 23 

The Dutch Governors 29 

English Control 65 

The Second Occupation of the Dutch 75 



f 



THE DISCOVERY 

OF 

MANHATTAN 



f 




THE GLORY OF Manhattan 
has ever been its prestige 
in tlie world of commerce and of 
trade ; a metropolis where the 
merchants of the world might 
find a market for their wares. 
Amid these conditions and the 
influences acquired at the de- 
mands of commerce, a mighty 
and glorious city has arisen. 

Relatively, it was the same 
state of affairs which existed in 
the early days when the traffic 
with the Netherlands, in the furs 
and skins of the Indian trader, 
made necessary its rise from a 
mere trading post to the leading 
city of the American continent. 

Its dealings with the foreign 
world made its aspect truly cos- 





II 




mopolitan, a condition which 
did not exist in reference to any 
of the other colonies then estab- 
lished. 

Jamestown was practically a 
farming, home-making settle- 
ment, and Plymouth at that 
time merely a refuge for a per- 
secuted people. Hence it is but 
small wonder that a city of trade 
should be established and prosper 
in a location midway between the 
two. Geographically Manhattan 
Island occupies the natural loca- 
tion where such a commercial 
venture could but prosper, and 
which has since received the 
recognition, as was its due — a 
fact which, shorn of all its view 
of sentiment, is still romantic : 



% m IB ffi w m w m 



12 




from the days of Hendrik Hud- 
son's venture - seeking voyage ; 
through the occupation of the 
various Dutch governors ; the 
rule of Great Britain ; the sec- 
ond tenure of the Dutch ; 
again to revert to English con- 
trol ; and, finally, the era of 
American independence, under 
which the present city of New 
York has thriven and advanced. 
The island of Manhattan was, 
at this time, a mass of wood- 
crowned hills and grassy valleys, 
extending northward from the 
bay through a gently rolling 
region of marsh and glade, and 
peopled by Indians who, although 
savages, were supposed to be of 
a superior class to the average 



fflffiiBmmffiifeffi 



13 





red man encountered by the early 
settlers. 

In the north were to be found 
bear, deer, beaver, and innumer- 
able wild fowl, which, as with 
the Indian, served the Dutch as 
edibles of great relish, as well as 
proving valuable for the hides 
and pelts. 

The Indian inhabitants, known 
as Manna -hattoes, paid much 
attention to their appearance and 
dress, which they fashioned from 
the skins of the fur-bearing ani- 
mals abounding thereabouts, and 
decorated with beads and feathers. 
Their crowns were shaven, and 
moccasins of soft leather covered 
their feet ; thus, with pipe and 
tomahawk and bow and arrows. 



ffi ^ ffi IB m mmm 



14 



was constituted their individual 
paraphernalia. They lived com- 
monly in huts of a sufficient 
size to accommodate comfortably 
a half-dozen or more ; and, though 
clannish to a certain extent, were 
possessed of considerable know- 
ledge and acquaintance of the 
neighboring tribes. They were 
great hunters and traders, and 
the peltrie secured by all the 
tribes in the vicinity, beyond 
what was needed for their own 
uses, ultimately found its way 
into the store-houses of the Man- 
hattan Indians, as soon after as 
the first Dutch traders made the 
demand therefore. 

The standard of value by which 
such transactions were bargained 



m ffi iH w m m lb ifi 




IS 




for was the wampum, the uni- 
versal Indian money. 

The wampum was made of the 
interior of the conch shell, of two 
colors, white, and bluish or pur- 
plish black, of which the black 
equaled in value two of the white ; 
three black wampums being about 
the value of two cents. The 
shells were commonly strung to- 
gether in belts of a certain stand- 
ard width and six feet in length, 
the black being valued at about 
five dollars, and the white two 
dollars and a half. Thus another 
characteristic of the early stamp 
of commerce upon the beginnings 
of the city is made apparent, and 
the seed afterward sown by the 
Dutch burgomasters was propa- 



«( ffi «i m iH )» at 2b 



i6 



gated to an almost incalculable ex- 
tent through the various transi- 
tory periods unto the present day. 
The discoverer of Manhattan 
Island was undoubtedly Verra- 
zano, a Florentine, who, under 
the patronage of the French, 
voyaged for the purpose of ex- 
ploration and discovery through- 
out the North Atlantic, and who, 
in 1504, nearly one hundred and 
twenty -five years before the 
Dutch were finally ensconced as 
proprietors, anchored his ship at 
the " mouthe of an exceeding 
greate streme of water," landed, 
and erected a wooden cross bear- 
ing a metal plate inscribed with 
the royal arms of France, and 
took possession of the land in the 




mm mm ih m m m 



17 




name of Francis, most Christian 
King of France and Navarre. 

Later voyagers passed and re- 
passed the site of New Amster- 
dam, but none thought it of suf- 
ficient importance, or were en- 
couraged to enter the bay or 
prospect in the immediate neigh- 
borhood, until the advent of 
Hendrik Hudson, a venturesome 
navigator descended from ances- 
tors high in the circles of English 
trade for many generations. Hud- 
son was then on a voyage of 
discovery for the Dutch East 
India Company of Amsterdam, 
with orders to locate, if possible, 
the long-sought-for new route to 
the Orient, a problem which has 
since even remained unsolved. 



mmmmMmmm 



i8 



Hudson's previous experience 
and acquaintance with other 
navigators and explorers seemed 
to augur well for his ability to 
carry out the plans of his em- 
ployers. The expedition was 
fitted out in a Dutch galliot, a 
clumsy craft of eighty tons bur- 
den, with square-sails on the two 
forward masts, and a mixed crew 
of twenty English and Dutch 
sailors. His instructions were 
" to search for nothing but a 
northwest passage." If he failed 
in this, he can hardly be said to 
have erred in his final judgment 
and report to the Company in 
reference to Mannahatta, which 
was, in the tongue of that day : 

" This a good land to fall in 




m mm w tft % MM 



19 




with, lads, and a pleasant land to 
see." 

Meeting with many hardships 
and near approach to disaster, 
Hudson sought diligently for the 
hoped-for channel, but, finally, 
after severe buffeting about in 
northern waters, he was blown 
southward as far as the coast of 
Virginia. From here he cruised 
northward until was sighted the 
hills of Neversink. Here he an- 
chored, at the portals of the 
gateway to New York, on Sep- 
tember 2, 1609. 

On the following day the ship 
was cautiously propelled up into 
the lower bay. At some distance 
Indians were observed paddling 
about in canoes ; then were the 



ffl Hi «i )» m ffi )6 ffi 



20 



first introductions to the original 
settlers of Manhattan. The In- 
dians soon drew near in their 
canoes, and in an attempt at 
parley offered tobacco as a peace- 
offering. 

On the eleventh of September 
the craft came up through the 
Narrows, and anchored in full 
view of Manhattan Island, with 
the great river stretching north- 
ward even beyond the gaze or 
knowledge of the explorers, and 
which they believed was the long- 
looked-for pathway to Cathay. 
The following days were occu- 
pied by the voyage up the river, 
and on the seventeenth they ar- 
rived opposite the present city of 
Hudson. The final up-river point 




^ffiffiiBiKmraw 



21 




which they reached is a mooted 
question, although it is generally- 
admitted that they got as far as 
Castle Island, just below Albany, 
and in an open boat proceeded 
thence to the head of navigation. 
On the twenty - third of the 
month the ship dropped down 
toward Manhattan Island, and 
eleven days later sailed from the 
mouth of the great North River 
for Holland. Upon his arrival 
Hudson reported to the officers 
of the Company the results of 
his discoveries, which inspired 
those worthy officials to further 
extend their interests and pro- 
vince, and, if possible, to open up 
trading relations with the natives. 



ffi Hi 01 ffi HUH m m 



THE 

SETTLEMENT 



f 





THROUGH the result of 
some years negotiation a 
plan for the development of the 
trade was finally put into opera- 
tion by the Dutch West India 
Company, which was formed for 
the purpose. One Adrian Block 
in 1613 suffered the loss of his 
vessel by fire as she was lying off 
Manhattan Island loaded with 
skins and about to set sail for 
Holland. 

Block and his men were forced, 
therefore, to spend the winter on 
shore in huts, which they erected 
from the timber at hand, sur- 
rounding the hamlet by a palisade. 
He named the settlement New 
Amsterdam, in honor of the first 
city of Holland. This is the first 




mm mm mmJSsm 



25 




knowledge we have of actual set- 
tlement on the island, and which, 
it may be said, formed the begin- 
nings of the present city. 

Hitherto Manhattan Island 
had been looked upon merely as 
a trading post, but now, with a 
full appreciation of its value and 
importance as a settlement and a 
province, attention was turned in 
that direction, and immigration 
set in soon after ; a charter being 
granted to the Dutch West India 
Company for purposes of trade 
and colonization, the foundations 
of the city were laid in earnest. 

In 1623 the New Netherlands 
a ship of two hundred and sixty 
tons, brought over thirty Wal- 
loon families, who were distrib- 



WmmMmmmM 



36 




uted at various points along the 
Hudson River and the shores of 
Long Island Sound, thereby ex- 
tending and increasing the Dutch 
occupation, under whose direc- 
tion and rule they had emigrated. 

The following year a treaty 
alliance was formed between Hol- 
land and Great Britain, which en- 
couraged Holland to strengthen 
her political, commercial, and 
social status in the New World 
by sending over still other bands 
of settlers. 

In this relation it is to be re- 
corded, even unto the present 
day, the preservation of the 
Dutch characteristics of nomen- 
clature, manners, and customs 
noticeable alike in architecture. 




mmmmMmMm 



27 





furniture, and dress — in strong 
contradistinction to the Eng- 
lish influences so marked and 
prevalent in the plantations of 
Virginia and Plymouth. 



¥ 



m )tt )& & dt m iU m 



28 



THE 

DUTCH 

GOVERNORS 



¥ 




f 




WITHIN a twelvemonth 
Peter Minuit was com- 
missioned Director -General of 
the province, and was granted 
power to preside over a council 
of five to be appointed to assist 
him in the government thereof. 

Minuit arrived off New Am- 
sterdam in May, 1626, in the ship 
Sea Mew, and immediately upon 
setting foot on shore inaugu- 
rated what appeared at the time 
to be a vigorous administration. 
Up to now the Dutch had held 
possession of Manhattan by right 
of occupation only, but Minuit, 
with due loyalty and energy, 
sought to establish the right be- 
yond assail, and accordingly con- 
summated a treaty with the 
Indians no less noteworthy or 



di ill ib di iH m i» Hi 



31 





honorable than that of William 
Penn with the Indians from be- 
yond the Delaware. 

The price paid for the full title 
to the twenty-two thousand acres, 
comprising Manhattan Island, 
was sixty guilders, about twenty- 
four dollars, in merchandise, con- 
sisting of clothing and trinkets. 

The territory acquired, with 
the surrounding region already 
claimed by the Dutch, was now 
created a province and county of 
Holland, and granted Armorial 
distinction, that of an Earl or 
Count — a beaver enclosed in a 
shield and surmounted by an 
Earl's coronet. The provisional 
civil government was organized 
in 1626, and from this time dates 



wmm&MmMm 



32 



the actual official recognition and 
patronage toward the support of 
the colony. 

In Minuit's administration was 
built a stone fort on the site of 
the present Battery, where the 
wooden palisade and earthwork 
then stood. This fortification 
was rectangular in form, built of 
earth, and faced with stone hewn 
from the extensive deposits in the 
vicinity, and of sufficient size as 
to be capable of harboring the 
entire population in case of need. 

Occupying such a strategic po- 
sition at the confluence of the 
North (Hudson's) and East 
rivers, the site could hardly have 
been improved upon for the pur- 
pose. In the waters adjacent 
thereto was the anchorage for 




Mt&tiit&i&mmM 



33 




ships and the general rendezvous 
of the Indians and traders from 
roundabout — the Manna-hattoes 
from the north, the Hackensacks 
and Raritans from the west, the 
Rockavvays, Canarsees, Shinne- 
cocks, and Missiqueeges from 
Long Island and the eastward. 

Around this redoubt grew up 
the little village, log huts at first, 
and later stone or brick cottages, 
which, with the advent of Petrus 
Stuyvesant, was incorporated as 
New Amsterdam — the name 
under which the settlement had 
been known since first given it 
by Adrian Block in 1 613-14. 

The Director also caused to be 
built a horse-mill for grinding 
corn, a staple article of food with 
the Indian, and whose value was 



As tk ffi m dt m ffi 8i 



34 




beginning to be appreciated by 
the settlers. On the second floor 
of the mill was a room intended 
to be fitted up and set apart for 
religious services. A stone build- 
ing was also erected with a roof 
of thatched straw for use as the 
company's store-house. These 
were all contained within the 
walls of the fort, while clustered 
beneath outside the walls were 
the homes of the people. 

During the first year of Min- 
uit's regime there were exported 
to Holland furs to the value of 
nineteen thousand dollars, a state 
of affairs which should have be- 
tokened well for the future suc- 
cess of the Director's administra- 
tion. 

The following year brought up 



ffifismismmibtfs 




35 




the question of the boundary line 
between the Province and New 
England, which for a time caused 
some official uneasiness and inter- 
course between Minuit and Gov- 
ernor Bradford, but which, how- 
ever, passed off finally without 
serious complication, although 
the question was still left in an 
undecided and therefore unsettled 
state. 

In 1632, for cogent reasons and 
views held by the home govern- 
ment, Minuit's administration 
came to an abrupt end ; and in 
1633, twelve months or more 
after he had sailed for Holland, 
Wouter Van Twiller arrived in 
the ship Salt Mountain, to con- 
tinue the power vested in the title 



ffi ffi itt «i ift m m «( 



s^ 



of Director-General or Governor 
of the Province. Van Tvviller 
arrived in State, accompanied by 
a troop of one hundred and four 
soldiers, who were to form the 
military guard and garrison of 
the fort. He was empowered 
with civil and military authority 
to proceed with the government 
of the Province as he might 
deem necessary for its proper ad- 
vancement and improvement. 
"Wouter Van Twiller," says Died- 
rich Knickerbocker, " was five 
feet six inches in height and six 
feet five inches in circumference. 
His head was a perfect sphere, 
which rested sans neck on the top 
of his backbone. His legs were 
short but sturdy, and his two gray 
eyes twinkled in his round face 




m w m ^ ift at m di 



37 




like stars in the firmament. His 
habits were as regular as his per- 
son was rotund, and his four daily- 
meals, taken at regular intervals, 
occupied exactly one hour each. 
He smoked and doubted (he was 
not of energetic or active disposi- 
tion, be it recalled) in his leath- 
ern-covered chair for eight hours, 
and slept, or was supposed to have 
done so, the remaining twelve." 

A weaker, more vacillating, or 
more thoroughly incompetent 
governor could hardly have been 
found. A former clerk in the 
company's warehouse in Holland, 
Van Twiller had no thought 
above the gains of trade, and pos- 
sessed absolutely no knowledge 
or experience of civil or military 



ffiffiiBiBwmffidt 



38 




law and government. Hence his 
control of the affairs of the Pro- 
vince could meet with but scant 
favor. He secured the post 
through grace of family and 
political influence, having married 
the daughter of one of the 
wealthy Patroons, and, being 
himself a person of some means, 
was doubtless considered a desira- 
ble party for that reason as well. 

With Van Twiller came Ever- 
ardus Bogardus, a clergyman, 
and Adam Roelandsen, a school- 
teacher, the first in the Province, 
and desirable members of the 
community they proved to be. 

Van Twiller had still further 
work done upon the fortifications 
started by the former Governor, 
and also built within, a barracks 




m m m m ih m&n\ 



39 




for the soldiers, likewise a wooden 
church, or rather a separate build- 
ing to be used as a church. This 
was located on the East River 
shore, and nearby a graveyard 
was plotted, and an additional 
three windmills built — the ever 
useful servant of the Dutch, al- 
though stigmatized by the In- 
dians as a foul spirit, they being 
much afraid of its "long waving 
arms and grinding teeth." 

In addition to these varied im- 
provements, several other brick 
and stone buildings were at once 
erected, producing collectively 
evidences of a striking and grati- 
fying growth. The houses were 
generally of one type, often of 
brick imported from Holland, 



ffl i( «( IB IB ffi is di 



40 




and roofed or slated with tiles, 
also imported ; gable ends, pictur- 
esquely notched, as was the fash- 
ion, wooden shutters for each 
small window, the doors, gener- 
ally divided into an upper and 
lower half, as is the custom in 
Holland even at the present day. 
The whole surmounted, at the 
apex of the gable, by a weather- 
cock. 

Two principal roadways were 
laid out, one extending north- 
ward from the fort through the 
interior of the island, the other 
running along the shore to the 
ferry landing on the East River. 

The ferry to Long Island was 
attended by a farmer who Hved 
near by, and who might be called 



ffiffilBWiB^Wift 



41 




t 




from his other occupations by 
persons desiring to be trans- 
ported across the river, by a blast 
from a horn which hung from a 
tree near at hand, the rate of fare 
for foot passengers being three 
stivers of wampum. 

Here, too, was the " Cage " 
and the Whipping-post, where 
Van Twiller was wont to practice 
his favorite mode of punishment 
for mild offenses, that of hanging 
the culprit suspended by a girdle 
around the waist in mid-air for 
as short or long a time as the 
offense might seem to warrant. 

During Van Twiller's incum- 
bency was inaugurated the system 
of Patroons, a sort of manorial 
grant or privilege, whereby cer- 



ds IK dt m SUB i» oi 



42 



tain wealthy persons were al- 
lowed to establish colonies inter- 
dependent with the provincial 
rule, and in consideration of their 
being able to influence fifty or 
more persons to migrate in a 
body and accompany them hither 
for purposes of colonization, they 
were granted in fee simple the 
rights to a tract of land sixteen 
miles in length and eight miles 
in width. The title of Patroon, 
or Lord of the Manor, was be- 
stowed upon all who could and 
would so found colonies. This 
attracted many sturdy burghers 
from Holland, as well as noble- 
men of wealth and social posi- 
tion, who gladly welcomed a 
plan whereby they might acquire 




ffi ffi IB w ib m ^ ih 



43 





still further wealth, dignity, and 
power. 

Being impressed by the results 
attained by the Indians in the 
neighborhood in the cultivation 
of maize, beans, and such like 
truck for food, Van Twiller was 
desirous that the community itself 
should produce such a sufficiency 
of a like product as to be able to 
ship it to Holland for home con- 
sumption and for export ; accord- 
ingly were established a series of 
small farms to be known as the 
Company's Gardens or Bouwe- 
ries. These gardens were located 
immediately northward from the 
settled portion of the Island ; 
four on the Eastern shore and 
two on the West shore. Besides 



MtkmtiiWwmm 



44 




the cornfields and cabbage gar- 
dens, here also bloomed in bright 
array the native sun-flowers, bell- 
flowers and yellow lilies, all in true 
keeping with the then distinctive, 
though now corrupt and incon- 
gruous, name — "The Bowery." 

On farm number one was built 
a dwelling house, barn, brewery, 
and boat-house, the occupancy 
and use of which the Governor 
himself partook of, also purchas- 
ing as his own personal property 
Nut Island, now Governor's 
Island, which, it may be stated, 
has formed a lasting monument 
to the memory of the sleek Van 
Twiller and the period of his rule 
over the city. 

Van Twiller soon became the 



mMMmmmmM 



45 





'^/W'."'"'*'^'^'*' 






largest individual land owner in 
the Province, acquiring succes- 
sively Great Barn and Blackwell's 
Islands in the East River, and yet 
other tracts on Manhattan Island 
and the mainland. 

Ere long Dominie Bogardus 
proved to be an unruly member 
of the settlement, publicly rebuk- 
ing the Governor for some appa- 
rent laxity, and perhaps justly, 
although naturally resented by 
Van Tv^iller, after which the 
preacher anathematized him from 
the pulpit as "a child of the 
Devil," resulting in the Govern- 
or's being doubly incensed. It 
served, however, to rouse the 
people to a recognition of the 
exact state of affairs, although, 



ts tsiSs m m m Is m 



46 




of course, Van Twiller had his 
adherents and partisans. 

Two factions sprang up, and 
the quarrel continued until it 
finally culminated in his (Van 
Twiller's) recall to Holland. 

In 1638 William Kieft, a man 
of far different stamp, although 
of far less integrity as well, was 
appointed to succeed him. Kieft 
came to the post preceded by 
various rumors to his discredit, 
and was therefore somewhat cool- 
ly received. He had previously 
failed in business in Hull, and, as 
was the custom, his portrait was 
hung upon the gallows in the 
public square, an ignominy befit- 
ting the offense or default, as the 
case may have been. 



ffi ffi IB ffi m w ffi m 



47 




Such an introduction was 
hardly likely to inspire a great 
amount of confidence at the start, 
even should sanguine conjecture 
as to the future seem to warrant 
it. The arrival of the Governor 
in a Dutch man-of-war of two 
hundred and eighty tons burden 
and twenty guns, accompanied by 
a Spanish caravel, captured on the 
way from Holland's old enemy, 
was naturally a significant event. 

So far as Kieft's present rela- 
tions with the Province were con- 
cerned, he stood in every respect 
as the superior of Van Twiller. 
Small in stature, fussy, and of fiery 
disposition and avaricious in tem- 
perament, he ruled over the peo- 
ple with a high hand, regardless 



Hi )fi dim ^ m m w 



48 



of their remonstrance. He took 
council with no one, but adminis- 
tered the law according to his 
own interpretation thereof. 

There existed in the Province 
at this time many rampant abuses 
which demanded reform, and to 
this purpose Kieft prided himself 
on his ability to lay down the 
law of remedy and to afterward 
uphold its proper observance. 

A regulation provided for the 
ringing of the town bell announc- 
ing religious services on Sunday ; 
at nine o'clock each evening as 
the hour for retiring; in the 
morning as a call to labor ; and, 
as occasion required, as a sum- 
mons for witnesses and prisoners 
to appear before the court. 




)» ffi IS IB m ffi IB ffi 



49 





It was forbidden to tap beer 
during the time in which divine 
worship was in progress; individ- 
ual smuggling and trading in 
tobacco and furs was forbidden, 
and profanity and vice in general 
were perceptibly checked in their 
career. Powder and guns were 
often traded with the Indians, an 
undesirable thing to have done, 
and which by Kieft's decree was 
made a capital offense. The 
standard of value of wampum was 
regulated and fixed by law ; all of 
which, being the first expressions 
of the new Governor, produced a 
decided improvement in the 
views of the majority of the citi- 
zens regarding him. The fort, 
church, and government build- 



ffl (I( % m ib m IB 01 



50 



ings were repaired, and the guns 
of the fort brought back to a 
state of efficiency from which 
they had sadly fallen ; repairs 
were made upon the Company's 
ships, which were now leaky and 
generally run down. 

This general restoration im- 
mediately brought the affairs of 
the colony up to a high plane of 
excellency. 

The Stadt Huys was built in 
1642 near the shore of the East 
River, in full view of all incom- 
ing ships as they anchored off the 
fort awaiting government inspec- 
tion. 

The building was of stone, 
about fifty feet square, and, in- 
cluding the gables, five stories in 




m %ts ib iK Wt^% 



51 





height, following the general 
form of Dutch architecture then 
in use. The council room was of 
imposing aspect and grandeur, 
decorated as it was with the 
orange, blue, and white of the 
West India Company and the 
[ reflection of color from the arms 
of New Amsterdam graven upon 
the windows, where, as described 
by Washington Irving, "The^ 
secretary only kept the minutes of 
the meeting in condensed form, 
the Dutch not being prone to 
producing voluminous reports of 
their proceedings." Here the 
council sat and smoked during 
their discussions and debates, reg- 
ulating the time by the pipeful, an 
admirable and exact measure- 



iSimmmmmmm 



52 



ment, as the pipe in the mouth of 
a trueborn Dutchman was never 
liable to those accidents and 
irregularities that are continually 
putting our clocks out of order. 
In this fashion did the profound 
council of New Amsterdam 
smoke and doze and ponder from 
week to week, month to month, 
and year to year as to what man- 
ner they should conduct the in- 
fant settlement ; meantime the 
town took care of itself. 

A stone church was also 
erected inside the fort at a cost 
of one thousand dollars, and a 
public surveyor was appointed to 
lay out boundary lines at a salary ' 
of eighty dollars per annum. 

The first recorded sale of land 




ffi fii IB w fit m m % 



53 




was : "Abraham Van Steenwyck 
to Anthony Van Fees, a lot 
thirty feet front by one hundred 
and ten feet deep, for nine dollars 
and sixty cents." 

An edict was issued forbidding 
householders to harbor any trav- 
eler for more than one meal or a 
single night's lodging without 
first notifying the Governor. 
The growth of the town and the 
largely increasing number of trav- 
elers rendered this an inconveni- 
ence and made the establishment 
of a public house a necessity. 

A tavern was accordingly built 
and Philip Gerritson appointed 
mine host. In after times many 
a traveler and trader from afar — 
Virginia, New England, or from 



&&iSiiSs tk dt ffi ffl 



54 



across the seas — found shelter 
and entertainment therein, and 
amid the pleasures of the flowing 
bowl of brandy or of port, Dutch 
cheeses, ginger-bread, and North 
Sea herring, and the solace of the 
long clay pipe, "the Dutchman's 
ever-present rest and hope," was 
heard and discussed the latest 
news from all quarters of the 
globe, while lounging on the set- 
tle by the door might always be 
found, in pleasant weather, a lit- 
tle company of burghers, debating 
the various aspects of their ven- 
tures and professions, the advent 
of the latest ship to arrive, and 
the news of politics, war, and 
rumors of war, then a constant 
happening, from abroad. 




mmm&nit&&& 



55 




During Kieft's administration 
troubles with the natives were of 
frequent and disastrous occur- 
rence. In a restricted sense, war- 
fare itself, may be said to have 
existed. Doubtless both sides 
were at fault, and the condition, 
while it resulted in many fatali- 
ties, was more of the nature of a 
constant annoyance than any 
special fear or apprehension as 
to the possibility of the town's 
being sacked or pillaged and the 
settlers exterminated. 

The last of the royal Dutch 
Governors was Petrus Stuyve- 
sant, a man of tyrannic and des- 
potic nature, who held the office 
for eighteen years. Born in Hol- 
land in 1602, he early evinced a 



ffi ffi dt iS mm mm 



56 




desire for a military career, and 
accordingly his education was 
begun in that direction. 

Previous to his coming to 
New Amsterdam he had served 
as Military Governor of Cura- 
cao, where he lost his right leg 
in an attack led upon the Portu- 
guese at St. Martin. 

He was above the medium 
height, of fine physique, and 
dressed commonly in slashed 
hose fastened at the knee with a 
knotted scarf, velvet jacket with 
slashed sleeves over a full ruffled 
shirt, and rosettes on his shoes. 

Abrupt in manner, conven- 
tional, cold, full of prejudice and 
passion and often unapproach- 
able, he still possessed sympathy 



w )B ill ffi ib m ft % 



57 





and affection to a large degree, 
which, coupled with his quick 
perception, made the new Gov- 
ernor a man to be regarded in 
the not too genial light of a 
master among men. 

His present commission was 
dated 28th July, 1646, and 
charged him to attend carefully 
to the advancement, promotion, 
and preservation of trade, com- 
merce, and friendship. 

Upon the arrival in the Bay of 
the ship which bore the Governor 
thither, the people of New Am- 
sterdam were well nigh delirious 
in their joy of welcome, and 
burned nearly all the powder in 
the city in their noisy endeavors 
to duly impress that worthy with 



at as ffi m m Hi fit d( 



58 




their satisfaction at the new rule 
about to be put in force. Stuyve- 
sant's appearance upon landing is 
thus described by that rare chron- 
icler, Diedrich Knickerbocker : 

" Methinks I behold him again, 
in my imagination, in regimental 
coat of German blue, with large 
brass buttons extending to the 
chin, with voluminous skirts 
turned up at the corners, and 
brimstone colored breeches. His 
face rendered terrible by a pair 
of black mustachios, rat-tailed cue 
behind, stock of black leather, 
cocked hat, his wooden leg 
banded with silver, and his gold- 
headed cane." 

Stuyvesant replied to their wel- 
come forthwith, and expressed 



ffl )& m is ift m m n\ 



59 





his pleasure at having come to 
live among them. He promised, 
further, to govern as a father, 
which being interpreted to mean 
with an iron hand, if in his own 
judgment it might be deemed 
advisable, somewhat dampened 
their joyful ardor. 

The Council was organized on 
the 27th of May and a Court of 
Justice opened. 

The people were induced to 
enlarge and improve their dwell- 
ing houses; a Market House 
was built and plans made for an 
annual cattle fair. 

Stuyvesant, in the course of 
his tenure, had also to deal with 
the still open question, the New 
England boundary. 



m m m m ib itt ds m 



60 



Frequent complaints as to 
encroachment came from both 
sides. In 1650 the Governor 
journeyed to Hartford and ar- 
ranged for the permanent recog- 
nition of new boundaries yet to 
be laid down. 

This was mutually agreed upon 
by the representatives of each 
colony there assembled, and a 
contract of perpetual peace as- 
sented to. 

Upon the Governor's return to 
New Amsterdam he found that 
public opinion was decidedly 
against his procedure and the re- 
sults of his agreement. This was 
manifestly expressed by a public 
declaration to the effect that the 
Governor had ceded away enough 




m m m m (6 1& m dt 



6t 





territory to found fifty colonies — 
fifty miles square — somewhat of 
an exaggeration, to be sure, but 
so incensed were the people that 
they spared no pains to impress 
his Excellency with the spirit of 
their disapproval, whereupon the 
Governor grew haughty and diffi- 
dent and threatened to dissolve 
his Council. 

In 1665 Stuyvesant journeyed 
to the Delaware with three ships 
and seven hundred men, and at- 
tacked and subdued the Swedish 
colony which had settled there 
under the leadership of the dis- 
gruntled Minuit, who, when re- 
nounced by the Dutch, went over 
to the Swedish powers with glow- 
ing accounts of the desirability of 



ffi IK Ih m iU in in ffi 



62 



a settlement in the vicinity of 
Manhattan. 

The expedition proving suc- 
cessful, the Governor returned 
crowned with the glory of tri- 
umph and victory. 

Soon after this a new plan for 
the municipal government of 
New Amsterdam was arrived at, 
in Holland, and the City of New 
Amsterdam was then first offi- 
cially recognized (2d February, 

1653)- 

Upon the receipt of this news 
by Stuyvesant he made a public 
speech in which he intimated that 
his power was not in the slightest 
degree abridged or abrogated. 
Soon after, however, he was re- 
called to Holland by the home 




ffi ffi ffi IB ffi m mm 



63 




government, a suggestive fact, 
which caused many to question 
the extent of his present power, 
and assured them that the law of 
the tyrant might perhaps not be 
absolute, and doubtless urged 
them to further remonstrate as 
future developments came forth. 

The order of his recall was re- 
voked upon the declaration of 
war between England and Hol- 
land, and great preparation was 
instituted towards strengthening 
the fortifications of the city. Ad- 
ditional breastworks and strong- 
holds were run up, and a sort of 
barricade, beneath the surface of 
the water, was extended across 
the North River. 



IB is m ffi iK m m di 



64 



ENGLISH 
CONTROL 



¥ 




IN March, 1664, Charles II. 
granted to his brother James, 
then Duke of York, " the terri- 
tory comprehending Long Island 
and the islands in the neighbor- 
hood, and all the lands and rivers 
from the west side of the Con- 
necticut River to the eastern 
shore of Delaware Bay." 

The English equipped four 
vessels, with 450 men, under 
Colonel Richard Niccolls, to 
take possession of the Province. 

Niccolls with his "red-coats" 
arrived off the Fort on 30th of 
August, and to the consternation 
and dismay of the inhabitants as- 
sembled on the Bowling Green, 
as well as to Stuyvesant himself, 
immediately sent ashore a sum- 




St as di (s )» ifi ds dt 



67 





mons to surrender, promising life, 
liberty and estate to all who 
would peacefully accept of its 
conditions. 

The Governor read the letter 
to the Council, and fearing assent 
by the people should the tenor 
of it become known, he tore it 
into shreds and crushed it be- 
neath his feet. 

Meanwhile the people them- 
selves, in anticipation of some de- 
cisive move, had assembled out- 
side the building and were shout- 
ing clamorously for information 
as to the contents of the letter. 

Returning to the Council 
chamber, Stuyvesant gathered 
up the torn fragments and gave 
them to the Burgomasters in ses- 



ffi )6 its fK di m m ffi 



68 



sion to do with as they pleased, at 
the same time, of his own accord 
sending a defiant answer to Nic- 
colls, and ordering the garrison of 
the Fort to prepare for an attack. 

In an unguarded moment the 
warring Governor yielded to the 
wiser counsel and entreaty of 
popular sentiment, not to shed in- 
nocent blood in what could prove 
but a vain attempt at defense, 
and withheld immediate action. 

After some days, although it 
galled him bitterly to consent, 
Stuyvesant signed the treaty at 
his Bouwerie house, and within a 
few hours a legion of British 
soldiery marched into the Fort 
and formally took possession of 
the city, the name being changed 




mm m mta ta m m 



69 





to New York in compliment to 
its Royal Patron. 

After the surrender Stuyvesant 
was, by order of the State's Gen- 
eral, recalled to Holland to tender 
a report of his administration in 
person. He arrived at The 
Hague in October, 1667, where 
he remained until his return to 
America a year later. 

Here the supplanted Governor 
settled on his Bouwerie, and until 
his death proved to be an alto- 
gether more valuable citizen and 
pleasing a neighbor than was 
thought to be at all likely from 
his previous reputation. He in- 
terested himself amiably in 
church and municipal affairs, 
but succumbed in a few years to 



}& tkmasm m ffi m 



70 



the ravages of time and advanc- 
ing age in an attack of cholera 
morbus. Thus, as the chroniclers 
have said, " died a loyal, upright, 
and honest man." 

His funeral was conducted 
with a grandeur hitherto un- 
known in the New World, and 
his body entombed in his private 
chapel, which stood on the site of 
the present Saint Mark's Church, 
and where the following record 
of his burial may yet be seen : 



In this vault lies buried 

PETRUS STUYVESANT, 

Late Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief 

of New Amsterdann, 

In New Netherland, now called New York, 

and the 

Dutch West India Islands, Died A.D. 167^, 

Aged 80 years. 




d) IS m m m as m m 



71 




Another memorial, which up 
to a generation ago had proved 
equally lasting, was the so-called 
Stuyvesant Pear Tree, which 
stood surrounded by an iron 
fence at Thirteenth street and 
Third avenue. 

Governor Niccolls immedi- 
ately set about reconstructing 
the civil government of the city, 
replacing the former Burgo- 
masters and Schepens by a 
Mayor, Aldermen and Sheriffs, 
as was the English form. 

The administration was peace- 
fully conducted in the main, Nic- 
colls meeting with but little oppo- 
sition from the Dutch residents, 
who seemed ready to fall in with 
the affairs of the new regime. 



mwtk (ti «tt (It ^ iti 



72 




The following year war broke 
out anew between England and 
Holland, and bethinking some 
attempt might be made by the 
Dutch to reclaim the city, the 
Governor made vigorous prepa- 
rations for its defense. The 
Dutch fleet, however, failed to 
put in an appearance, and the 
serene period of Governor Nic- 
colls' rule continued until 1668, 
when at his own request he was 
recalled to England. His suc- 
cessor was Colonel Francis Love- 
lace, who held the office until 
1673, when the truce between the 
two countries again suffered dis- 
rupture, the city reverting finally 
to the Dutch. 



m m m m t& mm m 



73 



f 



THE SECOND 
OCCUPATION 
OF THE 
DUTCH 



t 




ON 29th July, 1673, two 
Dutch vessels sailed into 
the harbor, and the commander 
of the expedition presented the 
following message to the Eng- 
lish Governor: 

"Sir — The force of war now 
lying within your sight is sent by 
the High and Mighty States and 
his Serene Highness, the Prince 
of Orange, for the purpose of 
destroying their enemies. We 
have sent you, therefore, this let- 
ter, together with our trumpeter, 
to the end that upon sight thereof 
you surrender unto us the fort 
called James, promising good 
quarter, or by refusal, we shall be 
obliged to proceed both by land 
and by water in such manner as 




77 




we shall find most advantageous 
for the High and Mighty States." 
Dated : The Ship Swanen- 
burgh, anchored betwixt Staaten 
and Longe Islands, 9th August 
(30th July, O. S.), 1673. 
Signed : 

* cornelis evertsen, 

* Jacob Benckes. 

No immediate reply being 
forthcoming, a cannonading was 
begun, killing and wounding 
many men, and resulting in the 
final capitulation of the city, 
which was surrendered upon two 
conditions : 

" I. That Officers and Soldiers 
should march out of the Fort 
with their arms, colors flying and 



JSiMmmmmmm 



78 



drums beating, without hindrance 
or molestation. 

" II. Thereupon the Fort 
would be delivered with all mili- 
tary arms and ammunition re- 
maining therein." 

These terms being quickly ac- 
ceded to, the Dutch once more 
found themselves in possession. 

Public opinion was divided in 
its sympathies, but all naturally 
obeyed the mandate, and the 
Orange insignia again flew above 
the fort. The city had mean- 
while improved greatly in appear- 
ance, increased in value, and more 
than doubled in population. 

The name New York was now 
changed to New Orange, or at 
least so it was known to the loyal 




m «s «s m 16 Its i» as 



79 




Dutch, although the English 
nomenclature may be said never 
to have been separated from its 
memory since first given in 1664. 

The Dutch only enjoyed their 
second period of rule for a few 
months, as on the 9th February 
in the following year (1674) a 
new Treaty of Peace was signed 
which restored to Great Britain 
the territory wrested from her the 
year before, and on the loth No- 
vember the new English Gov- 
ernor, Sir Edmund Andros, 
entered upon the scene. 

So passed away the Dutch do- 
minion in North America, step 
by step, from the early establish- 
ment of the customs of Hol- 
land, its system of township and 



{Is dt ^ lb m ffi ffi ffi 



80 



municipal government, the trans- 
planting of the Old World names 
and terms, the beginnings and 
growth of commerce, the friend 
and enemy, the Indian, and the 
progress of foreign encroach- 
ment, which culminated in the 
ascendency and final supremacy 
of an alien power. The annals 
of New York are surpassed by 
no other city in America in topics 
of varied character, romantic in- 
cident, general interest, instruct- 
ive lesson, or dignified distinc- 
tion. The pioneers left their 
deep impress on the face and 
depth alike of the natural attri- 
butes of the Empire City. 

The settlers who first planted 
the flag of Holland in the empire 




ari» IB m lb m w «( 



8x 





of the Indian were plain-spoken, 
earnest men, who left their native 
land to extend and enrich her 
power and possession, and bind 
another province in a new quar- 
ter of the globe to the United 
Netherland. Traders, chiefly, al- 
though they never ignored the 
principles of religion, education 
and good government, and the 
early accounts published by some 
of their historians, and the ad- 
mirably written records and cor- 
respondence left by the Stuy- 
vesants, Beekmans, and Van 
Rensselaers attest fully as to 
their erudition and scholarship. 



di ffi ffi w % m m m 



83 



